The present invention relates to a novel rope or cable construction and the method of making same. Although the making of rope or cable is an ancient art, modern materials and methods have improved the art substantially. The following U.S. patents and what they describe are illustrative of the background for the present invention and represent the closest prior art of which applicant is aware:
Buhler U.S. Pat. No. 2,107,567 dated Nov. 23, 1934, for Finishing Welt. A decorative rope formed of a central core, twisted or straight, and a cover, woven or braided.
Thompson U.S. Pat. No. 2,146,275, dated Feb. 7, 1939, for Impregnated Woven Sheath. A core of parallel yarns is bonded at intervals, and a nonporous layer around the core and an outer coating of neoprene are formed to prevent the instrusion of moisture.
Buhler U.S. Pat. No. 2,360,106, dated Oct. 10, 1944, for Joint Packing. A rope with a resilient core is bound in a woven or braided cover and used for packing.
Poirier et al. U.S. Pat. No. 2,737,075, dated Mar. 6, 1956, for Cord Structure. A plurality of casings are successively braided over the core and applied loosely to permit slipping and thus allow flexing of the cord.
Creve U.S. Pat. No. 2,985,056, dated May 23, 1961, for Line and Method of Manufacture Thereof. A core of animal fibers and synthetic fibers are twisted together, moistened to bind them and provide high tensile strength, and then covered with strands of braided synthetic fibers to form a string for a tennis racquet or the like. The strands and core are bonded by a synthetic material which dries hard. The braided cover is for the purpose of good wear.
Morieras U.S. Pat. No. 3,265,809, dated Aug. 9, 1966, for Cables with Bonded Organic Filamentary Insulation. A central conductor is surrounded by bonded, parallel twisted yarns of insulating fibers impregnated with latex. Then a sheath is braided about the core. The assembly is sized through a die and oven-cured. The rope is intended to afford good insulating qualities and tensile strength.
Durkee et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,457,717, dated July 29, 1969, for Plastic Coated Cable and Method of Making Same. Strands of wire are aligned in several cables, bundled into a larger cable, and spaces in the outside of the bundle receive smaller cables to tend to fill in and smooth the outer periphery. Molded plastic strips with butt or lap joints fill the outer interstices. Caulking of a soft plastic material is then applied. A thin binder of glass adhesive tape holds the strips in position, and then a spiral wrap of nylon or other plastic is followed by a layer of acrylic resin which is then cured. This cable is intended for suspension-bridge cabling, the outer cover providing a moisture barrier.
Hood U.S. Pat. No. 3,911,785, dated Oct. 14, 1975, for Parallel Yarn Rope, and Hood divisional U.S. Pat. No. 4,019,940, date Apr. 26, 1977, for Method of Manufacturing Parallel Yarn Rope. A plurality of slightly twisted filaments are paralleled together and bonded by a binder disposed predominantly on the surface of the yarns to form a core. A nonporous layer of flexible, water-impervious insulating material surrounds the core. A jacket is braided over the insulating material, and a final costing of neoprene completes the rope. Applying the binder only on the surface of the yarns is intended to aid flexibility; the rope is intended to have good insulation qualities.
Phillips U.S. Pat. No. 3,936,336, dated Feb. 3, 1976, for Method of Forming Reinforced Plastic Articles Utilizing Openwork Tubes. A glass fiber tube, such as a braided covering, is charged with a core of resin-impregnated fibers. The tube is tensed to reduce the tube diameter, impregnate the core, and cover with excess resin. Then the resin is cured to produce a strong rod of reinforced plastic and may be tensed when bent to provide a curved-shaped article.
Morieras U.S. Pat. No. 4,312,260, dated Jan. 26, 1982, for Flexible Cable. A core is formed of a bundle of parallel threads. The threads are impregnated at spaced intervals at a nonperpendicular angle to the axis of the parallel fibers, thus systematically mixing the overlaps, that is, mixing systematically the impregnated, inflexible portions and the nonimpregnated, flexible portions of the core. The core is surrounded by a bonded outer layer over which a cover is braided. The spacing between the impregnated portions is to afford some flexibility to the final product, whereas the impregnated portions are intended to give tensile strength.
Also of interest are Kippen U.S. Pat. No. 3,415,919 dated Dec. 10, 1968; 3,446,002 dated May 27, 1969; and 3,551,280 dated Dec. 29, 1970; which show twines having a core comprising a bundle of untwisted monofilaments with a wrap or casing applied to the core to complete the twine.